This Niçoise Salad with Tuna is a complete and flavorful meal featuring a beautiful combination of boiled potatoes, crisp green beans, sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh loose-leaf lettuce, peppery arugula, perfectly cooked hardboiled eggs, and briny kalamata olives, all brought together with a simple but rich dressing of extra virgin olive oil, tangy capers, and savory anchovy fillets.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
I am so excited to share my Niçoise Salad with Tuna with you today. Whenever I want a complete meal that feels both fresh and incredibly satisfying, I turn to this classic combination of ingredients. We will be using beautiful, tender potatoes, fresh green beans, and brightly colored cherry tomatoes. The base of our dish uses my favorite loose-leaf lettuce and a bit of arugula for a peppery kick. We will elevate the flavor profile immensely with briny kalamata olives, savory anchovy fillets, and tangy capers. Packed with protein from canned tuna and perfectly prepared hardboiled eggs, and dressed simply with high-quality extra virgin olive oil, this Niçoise Salad with Tuna is truly a special dish to share with your loved ones.
When making my Niçoise Salad with Tuna, the potatoes require careful attention to ensure the perfect texture. I always start by rinsing the potatoes under cold water. You can peel them or leave them unpeeled, exactly as you wish. Next, I dice them into uniform pieces, about 3/8 of an inch in size, which guarantees they cook evenly. I place these dices into a medium pot and then fill the pot with water until it reaches about one inch above the level of the vegetables. I cover the pot with a lid and place it on a high heat burner to bring it to a boil. Once boiling, I lower the heat to medium and let them boil until fully cooked, which usually takes about 12 to 15 minutes. I always take one out and taste it to make sure it is completely done. Finally, I drain the water by pouring the potatoes over a colander and place them on a baking sheet to totally cool before transferring them into a larger mixing bowl.
The next vital step in my Niçoise Salad with Tuna involves the green beans and the hardboiled eggs. I cook the green beans for a brief 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water. Once they are vibrant and tender, I add them into a larger mixing bowl. For the eggs, I boil them for exactly 10 minutes to achieve the perfect hardboiled eggs with a solid yolk. After boiling, I peel them, cut them into halves, and set them aside carefully for the final assembly steps. These hardboiled eggs add wonderful texture, color, and protein to the finished dish.
Creating the foundation of the Niçoise Salad with Tuna requires a large mixing bowl. Into this bowl, I add half a pound of cherry tomatoes that I have cut in half, four ounces of loose-leaf lettuce, and two ounces of arugula. While I prefer a combination of baby spinach, kale, and iceberg lettuce for the loose-leaf lettuce component, you cannot go wrong with any other mix or a ready-to-go bag. To these fresh greens, I add one cup of canned, drained tuna. It is very important that you do not reserve the liquid from the tuna for this recipe, as we want the flavors of the extra virgin olive oil to shine.
The distinct and memorable taste of my Niçoise Salad with Tuna comes from a robust mix of aromatics and briny ingredients. Into the bowl with the loose-leaf lettuce, arugula, cherry tomatoes, and tuna, I add half of a finely chopped shallot and two cloves of grated garlic. I squeeze the fresh juice from one lemon directly over the top. Then, I introduce the sharp elements: a quarter cup of finely chopped capers and ten finely chopped anchovy fillets. Just like with the tuna, I do not reserve the liquid from the canned anchovy fillets. I dress everything with four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, half a teaspoon of ground pepper, and half a teaspoon of salt. I thoroughly, but gently, mix this all together with a silicone spatula. I always make sure to taste it at this point and add additional extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper if it is needed.
To finish the Niçoise Salad with Tuna beautifully, I place the mixed salad on a large platter. Alternatively, you can create four individual portions, dividing the ingredients equally. I top the salad with the prepared hardboiled eggs that I cut into halves earlier, alongside one cup of pitted kalamata olives. For an optional final touch, I like to sprinkle four tablespoons of parmesan shavings over the top, along with freshly ground salt and pepper. You can easily adjust the cheese if needed or use grated parmesan instead. While not officially part of the core salad recipe, serving this dish with one piece of an herb baguette is a wonderful modification that pairs perfectly with the tender potatoes, green beans, and rich extra virgin olive oil.
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